The Final Post - Shortcuts, Superlatives and Statistics

Well this is it. The Final Post. Time to reflect upon the last month, and get something productive done while I wait for the movers to arrive and haul all my stuff to my new apartment.

SHORTCUTS

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BLOG, YOU WANT A SENSE OF THE TRIP, AND YOU ONLY HAVE FIVE MINUTES OF FREE TIME, this is where you look. Here are a few things you should see if you need the abbreviated version:

- Austin Bartending Videos
- Carolina Watersports Videos
- Beartooth Highway Photo Montage
- Vegas Buffet Photos
- Sturgis, SD Motorcycle Rally Videos
- Atlanta Nightlife Photos
- South Tuscon Mexican Lunch Photos
- Spokane to Washington Photo Montage

SUPERLATIVES

Everyone keeps asking me what my favorites were, so here are the standout spots. Over time, I might add to this list gradually, but here is the first wave:

Favorite City (Extended Visit): Atlanta, GA
Favorite City (One Night Only): Austin, TX
Best Single Meal: Pico De Gallo, South Tuscon, AZ
Largest Meal: The Buffet at the Wynn Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Best Barbecue: Baby Blues, Los Angeles, CA
Best Breakfast: Pocahontas Pancakes, Virginia Beach, VA
Best Salad: Barnaby's, Houston, TX
Best Burger: Ray's Hell Burger, Washington, D.C.
Best Steak: The Prime Rib, Gillette, WY
Best Dinner Party: Kelly's Place in San Fran
Hottest Hot Sauce: Dave's Insanity Sauce, Los Angeles, CA
Best Ice Cream: Tiramasu-Flavored Custard, Kopp's Famous Custard, Milwaukee, WI
Best Cookie: Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies, Maya Saalouke, San Francisco, CA
Best Beer: Russian River Brewery's Pliny The Elder, Brouwer's, Seattle, WA
Best Brewery: The Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI
Heaviest Drinker (Pound for Pound): George Kirkland IV, Atlanta, GA - Virginia Beach, VA
Coolest Museum - Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
Coolest Food Festival: The "Bite of Bozeman" Festival, Bozeman, MT
Coolest Streetfair: Portland, OR
Coolest Parent: Dr. George Kirkland III, Chapel Hill, NC
Most Welcoming Jewish Mother: Sharon Schwartz, Chicago, IL
Craziest Traveling Companion: Ryan Kenyon, Atlanta, GA - Virginia Beach, VA
Best Run: Beverly Hills to The Grove, Los Angeles, CA
Nicest Motel: Super 8, Fort Stockton, TX
Best Travel Buddy: Jeff Salomon, San Francisco, CA - Atlanta, GA
Most Welcoming Stranger (Adult): Anne Thorsten, Bozeman, MT
Most Welcoming Stranger (Peer): Elizabeth Varner, New Orleans, LA
Best Concert: The Fresh Espressos, Seattle, WA
Most Beautiful Home (Parents): The Wiezbowskis, San Francisco, CA
Most Beautiful Home (Friends): Christian Colin, Atlanta, GA
Most Activity-Filled Home: The Lees, Virginia Beach, VA
Most Beautiful Drive: Beartooth Highway, Wisconsin and Montana
Most Exhilarating Moment: 60 MPH on a Jetski, Virginia Beach, VA
Prettiest College Campus: The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Best College Bar: Taylor's, The University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Coolest Car: Audi A5, Eric Noeth, San Francisco, CA
Best Songs: "On The Wing" by Owl City, "Summer Nights" by Rascal Flatts, "Whatcha Say" by Jason DeRulo, "Summertime" by Kenny Chesney
Heaviest Rain: Sundance, WY
Best Weather: Lake Kerr, NC

STATISTICS

Total Miles Driven: 9,328
Total States Visited: 28
Total Gallons of Gas: 380
Most Expensive Gas: $2.94
Least Expensive Gas: $2.21
Longest Travel Day: 865 Miles on Day 1, New York, NY to Chicago, IL
Highest Speed Limit: 80 MPH, I-10, Texas (Daytime Only)
Number of Speeding Tickets Received: 0
Number of Verbal Warnings Received:1
Fastest Speed Driven: No Comment
Number of Parking Tickets Received: 1
Number of Times Oil Was Changed: 1
Hottest Temperature: 106 Degrees Farenheit, El Paso, TX
Ounces of Sunscreen Used: 38
Instances of Food Poisoning: 1
Loads of Laundry Done: 3
iPods Found at Bottom of Washing Machine: 1
Number of Morning Runs/Swims: 11
Number of Hangovers: 2
Money Won in Vegas: $1,600
Money Won in New Orleans: $275
Number of Nights Spent in Motels: 6
Number of Nights Spent with Friends/Family/Friendly Strangers: 21
Number of Times Credit Card Roulette was Played: 4
Number of Times My Credit Card Was Picked: 0
Minor Injuries: 1
Major Injuries: 0

Thank you for reading the blog. It means a lot to me, and I hope it helped you get through a few of your more excruciating Monday mornings.

Yours truly,

Will Morel
wamorel@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/williammorel
917.699.1340